Be Careful What You Wish For
by xxpoisonivyxx
Summary: Tired of repeated rejections, Sakura has given up on Sasuke, only to have the ninja in question realize that not all change is good. Can he convince her of the same? SasuSaku (and if you look closely, nonexistent SakuNaru)RR!
1. Chapter One

Be Careful What You Wish For

By: Poison Ivy 

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

AN: This is my first Naruto fic, so please don't be too tough with your reviews. After all, I've only watched up to episode 19! ^.~

Notes:

Thoughts 

"Speech"
Chapter One __

~

Sakura sat on a sea of green grass, dotted with random wildflowers. It was a sunny day; warm breezes occasionally rolling through the hill upon which she sat.

She held up a flower to her face, slowly plucking the petals off one by one as she chanted, "He loves me…he loves me not…he loves me…"

She slowly dropped the last bright yellow petal to the ground, her face a mask of dejection. "He loves me not." She pouted. A warm wind drifted through her face and through her hair, stirring the blades of grass and flowers in its wake. She causally tossed the leftover stem behind her, to have it land on top of a small pile of similar stems.

Sakura sighed dramatically. "Oh Sasuke-kun, no matter how hard I try, I just can't get you to notice me! Why?"

She stood up and wandered away from the scene of her latest defeat. "Maybe I'll go take a swim to clear my mind."

It was summertime and Kakashi had decided that Team 7 needed a break. So they were all resting, despite Naruto's loud complaints of having nothing to do.

Sakura couldn't ever remember a time when she felt more at peace than she did right now.

She skipped down the hill, snagging her bag containing her swimsuit and towel inside it on the way down.

__

And while I swim, she thought gleefully, _I can think about Sasuke-kun some more._

*

Naruto was bored. B-O-R-E-D bored. Ever since Kakashi-sensei had organized this break, (which Naruto privately called the Break From Hell) he had nothing to do but eat and sleep. And eat.

But his money supply was running low, and his begging skills only went so far.

And to top it off, he hadn't seen Sakura-chan, _his_ (or soon will be) Sakura-chan in over a week.

About the only thing about this Break From Hell was that he didn't need to endure that annoying bastard's (Sasuke's) company either.

But Sakura-chan…

Thinking of this, Naruto bolted down the last of his ramen (HAH! He could both eat _and_ think! How many people can do _that_?) and ran out the door. It was time to find Sakura-chan!

*

As she changed, Sakura let her mind wander. She hadn't seen Sasuke-kun is sooo long. When the break began, she and Sasuke had just gone their separate ways, and she hadn't stalked him since.

As she was contemplating this, a familiar blonde head peeked through the door of the changing room, chanting, "Sakura-chan, I found y—"

She screamed, alternating covering her momentarily nude body with her bag and swimsuit, and throwing the biggest tock she could find at Naruto's head.

His eyes widened just before it struck him in the face, and he fell from view, a strangled "Itai…" falling from his lips.

Sakura took her time putting on her suit, then she stalked out of the stall, glaring at a still unconscious Naruto. And waited.

*

Naruto came to slowly, first seeing Sakura-chan's beautiful face (seething with anger), then seeing the large rock in her hand.

"Hentai!" she shrieked, raising the rock into throwing position, "How many times have I told you? I DON'T LIKE YOU! Go away Naruto!"

His face fell, and he sniffed as he stammered out an apology. "Gomen Sakura-chan, it's just that…I thought we could hang, or maybe…never mind." He got up and ran off.

Sakura stared, stunned, then began her swim, trying to get Naruto's face out of her mind.

*

Sasuke exited his house warily as the sun set, casting longer shadows upon everything, checking the area around him carefully.

At last he relaxed. There was no sign of Sakura or Ino anywhere. No annoying sounds of "Sasuke-kun! Where are you going?" Now that he thought about it, there hadn't been any sightings of Sakura since…well, since Kakashi-sensei had called them all together last. He grimly wished he could say the same about Ino.

Sasuke headed toward the nearest noodle stand. It was time for dinner.

Then he saw a small figure coming toward him. _So much for my good day_ he groaned inwardly. "Sakura?"

She looked up in surprise, as if she hadn't even noticed that he was there. "Oh, hi Sasuke-kun." For once, she seemed subdued.

"Is something wrong?" Sasuke winced privately to himself. Now she was going to bore him with tales about how she liked a certain _someone_ and was afraid that he didn't return her feelings.

Sakura's mind swirled. She felt really bad that she had yelled at Naruto. He didn't mean any harm, and she really didn't mind all his attention. She would never tell anyone this, but many times, he had inadvertently cheered her up when she was down in the dumps about Sasuke. Even if Naruto _was_ a baka.

She came back to reality quickly, realizing that she still hadn't answered Sasuke's question.

"Eh, have you seen Naruto?"

Sasuke was flabbergasted. Not only was Sakura acting distant toward him, she was asking about _Naruto_ of all people.

"That dobe? He's probably at his house or something. Why?"

But Sakura didn't answer, only smiling up at him and saying, "Arigatou Sasuke-kun. Well, ja ne." then she ran off, leaving Sasuke, who decided that today was a decidedly strange day. And now, to top it off, he had a weird feeling in the pit of his stomach.

~

AN: Well, that's chapter one! Review people! 


	2. Chapter Two

Be Careful What You Wish For

By: Poison Ivy 

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

AN: Thank you for all your wonderful reviews! I love you all! *gives reviewers cookies* I never expected so much feedback. I've only watched up to episode 19! ^.~

Notes:

Thoughts 

"Speech"
Chapter Two __

~

Sakura finally found Naruto, not at home, but at the ramen stand. {1} 

She sat beside him. "Hey." She said quietly.

Naruto finished his bowl, and pushing it aside, buried his face into his arms. "How did you find me?" his voice was slightly muffled.

Sakura smiled slightly. "Well, at first I asked Sasuke-kun," the misshapen mess of arms and blonde hair winced. "But he was wrong, so I just had to think about it. What does Naruto love more than anything else?"

Naruto looked up hopefully into Sakura's beaming face. "Ramen, of course!" she exclaimed. 

Naruto looked down. "Oh." He said, quiet for once. {2}

"Look Naruto, I came to find you to apologize. I'm really sorry for what I said this afternoon. I didn't mean it, but you just made me _so_ mad, peeking at me like that, I mean, how low can you get?" she picked up steam, warming up to her topic, waving her arms around. "I mean, I always knew that you were a little bit on the perverted side, but _this_—"

"Eh! Eh!" Naruto held up his hands in self-defense. "I already told you that it was an accident Sakura-chan!"

Sakura changed moods quickly, beaming at Naruto once more. "I know. But I'm really sorry. So, friends?" She held out a hand to him.

Naruto blushed, then grinned hugely and shook her hand heartily. "Friends!"

*

Sasuke decided to do some extra training after dinner. He needed to clear his mind. Something about that conversation with Sakura had unsettled him. He jumped from treetop to treetop, quickly heading for the clearing where he trained, when he heard a scream. A very familiar scream. He changed his direction and sped off toward the sound, hoping that Sakura was all right.

*

After sharing a hesitant bowl of ramen with Naruto, Sakura was heading home by way of the forest trail.{3} Her parents were rarely, if ever, home. They like to travel, being rich enough to afford it and still leave their daughter with enough money while they were gone. So Sakura knew how to cook and clean, being used to looking after herself.

She walked along leisurely, not wanting to overexert herself after her meal. She had been surprised at how easy Naruto was to talk to. _He's really not a bad guy, once you get to know him, _she thought pleasantly to herself.

Just then, a dark shape jumped in front of her, reaching with its arms. And Sakura, forgetting her ninja training, screamed.

*

Sasuke reached Sakura, and seeing the situation, instinctively flung himself in front of her.

"Not one step further." He growled, reaching for his kunai.

A pale moon showed itself from behind the clouds, lighting up the face of Sakura's would-be attacker.

Naruto bent over laughing, supporting his hands on his thighs to keep from falling over.

"Oh man, Sakura-chan!" he gasped out, "You shoulda _seen_ your face! It was priceless!"

Sasuke let his hand drop with a sigh. It was only the dobe.

Sakura stepped out from behind Sasuke, and slapped Naruto. "Baka! You scared me to death! I thought you were a perverted rapist or a—" she was literally shaking with anger, and, Sasuke noticed, fear.

Naruto held the side of his face in surprise. "Hey! I was just having fun, Sakura-chan! There's no need to slap a guy!"

Sakura snorted. "I actually thought you _matured_ Naruto. But I guess you'll always be loudest and hyperactive number one."

Sasuke waited apprehensively for Sakura to mention the fact that he was the number 1 rookie, but to his surprise, she didn't.

He stepped forward, holding up his kunai into the light. "Dobe." He growled threateningly, "I was about to stab you with this."

Sakura turned to him. "And _you_. Do you ever stop thinking about fighting for _one minute_?" it was Sasuke's turn to gape in surprise. "Can't you ever give it up? If you hadn't been always harassing him, maybe Naruto wouldn't be such a big idiot!"

"Hey!" Naruto protested, while at the same time Sasuke stepped forward. "But—"

Sakura turned on her heel and flounced off in the direction of her house, leaving the two boys flabbergasted behind her.

"She's changed." Sasuke muttered to himself, watching her disappearing back through narrowed eyes.

"I still don't think it's any reason for her to slap the next Hokage."

"Dobe." Sasuke muttered, vanishing back into the trees. He had about enough strangeness for one night.

*

Sakura's thoughts were in turmoil. _Did I really just yell at Sasuke-kun?_ She wondered, "_Perfect Sasuke-kun? And before, I blew him off for Naruto. What does this mean? Am I over him?_

She took another sip of her tea and conjured Sasuke's face in her mind, expecting the butterflies in her stomach, and music to play, but nothing happened.

"Oh Sasuke-kun, I guess I really am over you." She whispered, still not quite believing it. "I guess it was a childish crush after all. And I was so sure that it was something more." She began to sob into her hands, tea forgotten. _One last cry for Sasuke, _she told herself, _because I never want to cry over him again._

~

Notes:

{1} Does anyone know the name of the ramen stand? Please tell me! Leave it in a review or something. Arigatou!

{2}He thought that Sakura was talking about their relationship!

{3} I know she doesn't really live near a forest trail, but lets pretend that she does ok? Artistic license! *sing-song voice* lets play pretend!


	3. Chapter Three

Be Careful What You Wish For

By: Poison Ivy 

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

AN: Thank you for all your wonderful reviews! I love you all! *gives reviewers cookies* I never expected so much feedback! I've only watched up to episode 19! ^.~

And thank you to all the reviewers who told me the name of the ever-so important ramen stand! I love you all!

Notes:

Thoughts 

"Speech"
Chapter Three __

~

Sakura woke up bright and early, and after her breakfast grabbed her purse and decided to roam the market, hoping to cheer herself up after last night's cry.

She took the trail through the forest again, enjoying the sunshine and putting last night's thoughts out of her mind.

"Good morning Sakura." Said a voice behind her.

She whirled around and peered into the foliage suspiciously. "Naruto, if that's you," she warned, "I don't have anything to say to you. So you better leave!"

To her surprise, instead of the hyper ninja appearing, it was a masked one with silver hair. "Don't worry, I'm not Naruto." He assured her with a grin.

"Kakashi-sensei?" she asked in surprise, "What are you doing here?" she hadn't seen him since the break began, and she had assumed that the elite ninja was off resting as well.

They began to walk together toward the village.

Kakashi's grin increased. "I came to find you!" he announced

Sakura was startled. "Me? But why?"

"Team 7's going to have a meeting tomorrow. Same place. Same time." {1}

Sakura frowned. "Is our break over so fast? I thought we had another week. At least."

"Afraid so. To tell you the truth, I was a bit disappointed myself when I heard the news—"

"Off reading your perverted book weren't you, sensei?" Sakura asked shrewdly, glancing at him sidelong.

Kakashi blushed slightly, (though it was hard to tell through the mask) and cleared his throat. "That's not important. But, as I was saying before I was _rudely_ interrupted," he glared at Sakura, who only giggled, "that though our break was supposed to be two weeks long, we were given a very important mission. One that no other team could accomplish." He mumbled the rest to himself, hoping that Sakura wouldn't hear. "And plus, all the other ninja teams are busy."

Luckily for him, Sakura was too distracted by his news to take notice of any mumbling on her teacher's behalf.

"An important mission? Do you know what it's going to be Kakashi-sensei?"

"Ano…it's confidential." The elite ninja muttered. "Um, look, Sakura, I would to stay and chat, but I still have to find Naruto. So, you better be on time tomorrow!"

Sakura was still wondering about the mystery mission, and could only spare a distracted, "Yeah, okay. Bye."

Kakashi disappeared back into the trees, leaving Sakura at the edge of the village.

In her peripheral vision, she could just see Kakashi jumping from rooftop to rooftop, in the direction of Naruto's place.

__

So, Sakura thought to herself, _the last day of my break. Better make the most of it._

*

After an unexpected visit from Kakashi, Sasuke, too preoccupied with last night's events, walked right into a trap.

A pair of watchful eyes waited in a dark alley. When the dark haired ninja passed by, the owner of the eyes went into action.

"Sasuke-kun!" an inhuman shriek pierced the morning air, startling birds into flight.

__

Oh no, Sasuke groaned, _it's Ino._

Everything seemed to be in slow motion as the blonde ran towards her idol, arms outstretched. Flowers appeared to surface from the ground, the scene seemed to be bathed in a soft glow, and the soundtrack from a cheesy romantic movie played in the background.

For Sasuke, however, the event seemed to move too fast.

All he could do was stand transfixed, watching with ever widening and fear-filled eyes (rather like a deer caught in the headlights, though Sasuke would never admit to resembling something so foolish) as Ino ran ever closer.

__

I'm going to hug Sasuke-kun! Ino thought gleefully, _And all before that Forehead Girl does, too! Soon we'll be making out on my couch…Wait! No! in public! And holding hands while taking romantic walks in the moonlight!_

As her arms closed around her love joyfully, she closed her eyes in bliss, preparing to enjoy the sensation to its fullest.

She was surprised by a soft '_pop_' as the Sasuke in her arms turned into a piece of wood.

"Eh? Body-switching technique?" she threw the wood away from her and wailed, "Sasuke-kun!"

*

On the rooftop above her, Sasuke watched the unfolding drama with what could only be described as glee, chuckling grimly. "If you think that you can catch me off-guard that easily, you got another thing coming Ino."

*

Sakura, hovering over a selection of jewelry, heard Ino's lament, and smiled to herself. (almost in the exact same way that Sasuke was doing only a few rooftops away.) _I'm glad I'm over that cold-hearted bastard. _She thought happily to herself, unwilling to admit that the sound of Ino's defeat gave her no little satisfaction.

And up ahead, storm clouds started to gather.

~

Notes:

{1} Ok I'll admit it. I have no idea where and when they meet. So yes, I am being vague for a reason. And if anyone happens to know, I would so appreciate it if you would tell me in a review!

Anyways…that was a short chapter. But the next one will be much longer, I promise! 


	4. Chapter Four

Be Careful What You Wish For

By: Poison Ivy 

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

AN: Yay! Guess what? I finally found Naruto manga on the Internet! Thank you narutofan! (Just add a .com on the end of that since ff.net doesn't allow URLs) so for the past few days I have been feverishly trying to download all of them. ^^

Also, sorry for not updating sooner, but what with the manga and the fact that finals are coming up (blatantly ignores the fact that she is typing instead of studying) I haven't had a lot of time on my hands. Three tests tomorrow? Is that possible?!

Anyways, here you go. The promised longer chapter 4. Please enjoy.

Notes:

Thoughts 

"Speech"
Chapter Four __

~

Sakura couldn't help yawning as she walked toward the forest. To her surprise, she was the first one there.

She took a spot on a rock, and yawned into her hand again. _Kakashi-sensei better not be late again, _she thought to herself, _not after warning me to be on time! But then, knowing him, it's more likely that he will be._

*

Sasuke walked into the clearing, apprehensive after spotting Sakura. He wasn't sure what would be worse, Sakura yelling at him, or Sakura mooning over him. For the strangest reason, he couldn't seem to get the scolding out of his head. _I must really be bored_, he thought idly, _if I'm interested in what _she_ thinks. _

To his surprise, Sakura ignored him. Completely. After a curious glance, she returned back to her state of half-sleep.

*

Sakura was slowly drifting away. Before, she wouldn't allow herself to sleep, not wanting to miss a second of Sasuke-kun's presence. Now, she didn't care.

Just as she was about to drift off into dreamland, Sasuke said softly, "Sakura?"

*

He had no idea what he was doing. He tried to tell himself that he didn't care, but the silence was unbearable. (Though he wouldn't have paid much attention to it before.) And now that he's broken it, Sasuke didn't know what to do next.

*

Sakura thought that maybe she was asleep, and was having the remnants of a dream in which Sasuke talked to her. But she was still slightly cold, and in dreams, she had never _felt_ cold. She opened her eyes, and said cautiously, "What?"

__

Crap. She heard me after all. "Ano…" but before Sasuke could get any farther, the village's number one hyperactive ninja bounded into the clearing, and he clammed up.

"Ohayou Sakura-chan!" he exclaimed.

"Ohayou Naruto." She muttered, still not quite forgiving him for his last prank.

"Ano…I know you're still mad at me, "he began, nervously fidgeting, "So I brought you a present! To say sorry!" he shoved what appeared to a be a thermos towards Sakura.

She took it and opened it warily. "…ramen?"

"Hai." Naruto seemed transfixed to the thermos. All morning he had debated what to bring Sakura, and in the end, decided on the thing he loved the most. (To be symbolic) But now that it actually came time to part with it, he was having serious problems giving it away. After all, he had carried it all the way there, and when his Sakura-chan had opened the thermos, the rich smell wafted into his nostrils. It was all he could do not to start drooling. Screw it, it was all he could do not to drool openly.

Sakura didn't quite know what to say. On one hand, it was sweet, the way he was willing to give up ramen (well not _too_ willing) for her, but on the other hand, it just proved to her what a one-track mind he had.

Sasuke, obviously reaching the same conclusion that Sakura had, snorted, and muttered, "Dobe."

Naruto's face fell. "If you don't like it, I can take it back." He offered, trying not to look too eager.

Sakura started out of her reverie. "No! No. It's great! I can eat this for lunch, especially if it rains today."

Naruto tried to hide his disappointment. "You really like it?"

"Hai. Arigatou." 

She put her thermos away, and said to Naruto, "So what do you think today's mission will be?"

Naruto beamed. "I hope it's something really big! Then all the villagers will recognize me as the next Hokage!"

"I don't think so." Sasuke interrupted. "They won't give big missions to rookies like us, even if Kakashi-sensei is along for the ride.

"Oh." Sakura said sadly. What Sasuke said made sense, but she had been looking forward to having something really important to do.

But Naruto refused to be put out. "But Kakashi-sensei _told_ me that it was important!" he whined.

Sasuke glared. "If it was so important, then why is Kakashi-sensei late?"

Sakura realized that it was true. She had been waiting for at least half an hour.

"Meh. He's just like that." Said Naruto, ever the optimist.

"Hn." Sasuke had gotten tired of the rather one-sided argument.

And so they waited in silence.

*

"Oh come on you guys! Look lively!" Kakashi strode into the clearing, jolting both Sakura and Naruto out of their state of half sleep. Sasuke just opened one eye. It was impossible to tell whether he had been asleep or awake.

They had been waiting for 4 hours.

Sakura jumped up, angrily pointing a finger at Kakashi.

"You! Where have you been?"

"I got lost on the road of life." he said smoothly.

"Shut up!" she screamed at him, "You lie!"

Naruto tugged at Kakashi's vest. "What's our mission Kakashi sensei?"

Kakashi looked sternly at them. "I don't know if I should tell you, after the way that you guys were goofing off. Ninjas should always be on alert."

"What about punctual?" Sakura asked icily.

Kakashi cleared his throat.

"Ok. Today's mission is this. The owner of the biggest laundromat in the village, Shindou Yuki, ahs asked for our help. Her cat is missing and—"

"Hold it." Naruto held up a hand. He looked at Kakashi suspiciously; "You aren't going to ask us to look for the cat are you?"

"Um…yeah." The jounin looked uncomfortable.

"NANI?" Now it was Naruto's turn to scream at him. "You said that this mission was important! That the Hokage only trusted us to do it!"

"It _is_ important" Kakashi soothed. "Think about it. If Yuki doesn't get her cat back, she might refuse to open her laundromat! And if she doesn't open, what will happen to the village? Everyone's clothes will stink! And on missions, the smell will give us away!

"Ok." He continued, ignoring everyone's glares, "that settles it. We're looking for a tabby cat."

He handed out the walkie-talkies. "Let's split up, and don't forget to keep in touch."

*

Sasuke sped through the treetops, not really looking, and not really caring. He planned to start from the lake, and move inward, thinking that the cat wouldn't have strayed far. Unfortunately for him, he realized that someone else had the same idea.

"So, dobe, have you seen the cat yet?"

He landed beside a startled Naruto, who shook his head no.

The blonde ninja was balanced precariously on some rocks by the lake's edge, and by the looks of it, had just arrived.

Sasuke was just about to leave when Naruto's voice stopped him.

"I feel a bit bad for you Sasuke-bastard. Sakura-chan doesn't like you anymore you know."

Sasuke was about to reply that he didn't really care when Naruto continued.

"She obviously realized what a cold-hearted bastard you are, and what a great guy _I_ am." He spread his arms wide.

Pain and anger lanced through Sasuke's heart. Much as he hated to admit it, the dobe was right. Suddenly, the last few day's events made sense. 

__

This is what you wanted isn't it? A small voice at the back of his head whispered, _For her to leave you alone?_

It _was_.

It took all of Sasuke's self-control to remain calm as he lazily swung a fist at Naruto's head. The blonde dodged it easily, (as Sasuke had known he would) but lost his balance and fell. (As Sasuke had also known he would.) But what he hadn't counted on was Naruto grabbing hold of his arm as he fell, essentially, bringing Sasuke down with him.

The water at the edge wasn't very deep, but without the sun's warmth, it was chilly, and Naruto and Sasuke were both soaked. They lay glaring at each other through wet hair.

Naruto broke the silence first, not yet done with his gloating. "It's too late you know, she doesn't want you anymore. She wants—"

That did it. Sasuke punched again, this time putting real force into the blow, and Naruto, surprised, forgot to duck. Apparently, he thought Sasuke too emotionless to actually hit him out of anger. Naruto took the blow right in the face, and was out like a light, sprawled in the lake.

Sasuke looked at him triumphantly for a few seconds, before reaching out a hand and fishing him out of the lake. If he didn't, he would probably have drowned himself in the foot or so of water.

*

Sakura wandered through the forest, meticulously searching every tree and niche for the lost cat. It was slow going, but her hard work paid off when she discovered the lost cat beneath a bush.

Hostile yellow eyes glared at her, and too late Sakura realized that Kakashi forgot to tell them its name.

"Sorry kitty," she whispered softly, knowing that if she raised her voice the cat would run off, "I don't have any kitty treats on me."

The cat looked exceptionally hungry.

Sakura suddenly remembered Naruto's present, and brought out the thermos.

She opened the lid and sniffed. Luck was on her side. It was shrimp flavored.

She poured some of it into the lid, and set it on the ground.

She then backed away from it, and waited. 

She didn't have to wait long. The cat soon crawled out of its burrow; its fur matted and dirty. It bent toward the ramen, and without further ado, began to eat.

Sakura scooped up the cat, which made vague mewling noises about being taken away from its food at the back of its throat, but other than that, didn't struggle. Apparently, the wild life wasn't treating it too well.

She shifted the cat to one arm, making reassuring noises all the while, and with the other arm, capped the ramen. She returned it to her pocket and contacted Kakashi.

"Come on kitty. It's time to end this mission." She told it as she set off towards the clearing.

Sakura had just arrived when a very angry (not to mention very wet) Sasuke stormed in, dragging a dazed looking (and also wet) Naruto behind him by the arm. Which he dumped as soon as he entered the clearing.

Sakura blinked. "What happened to you guys?"

Sasuke glared at her while jabbing a thumb in Naruto's direction.

"_He_ dragged us into the lake."

Naruto sneezed in answer.

"Oh. Um…" Sakura didn't really know how to answer that. So instead, she held up Kitty. "Look who I found!"

Sasuke nodded, accepting what she said as a valid answer. "Good job."

Sakura was stunned. Did the dark-haired ninja just compliment her work? Without sarcasm?"

"Excellent work Sakura!" Kakashi exclaimed, walking into the clearing.

__

I bet he wasn't even searching, just reading his book. Sakura thought.

Kakashi walked over and scooped up the lost cat. Kitty yowled and scratched him, turning into a blur of claws, teeth, and fur. Kakashi causally held the cat at arm's length. "Hm. Spirited little thing, aren't you?"

He looked around, as if noticing Sasuke and a sniffling Naruto for the first time. He blinked. "…what happened to you guys?"

Sasuke didn't bother to answer, just jerked his head in Naruto's direction, and sat on a rock.

Naruto sneezed loudly.

"Ok. …Well, I'm going to take the cat back before Yuki freaks too much. Training is dismissed today. Ja Ne." the jounin disappeared in the direction of the village center.

Sakura looked despairingly at her two wet teammates.

"Ano…if you guys want, you can dry off at my house." She offered hesitantly.

Naruto immediately brightened. "Sure! That would be great Sakura-chan!" he latched onto her arm enthusiastically, and she tried not to wince at his wet touch. Naruto stuck his tongue out at the Uchiha heir while Sakura wasn't looking.

"…you can come too." She said, extending the invitation to Sasuke. She didn't really expect him to accept, so when he nodded grimly, she didn't really know what to say.

A drop of water resolved her dilemma as it hit her nose.

"It's starting to rain." She said with mild surprise.

"Let's go Sakura-chan!" Naruto was still holding onto her arm, and now he began to drag her off.

She threw an apologetic look at Sasuke as he followed.

~

Well that's it! Please review! The more you review the quicker I'll update! 

__


	5. Chapter Five

Be Careful What You Wish For

By: Poison Ivy 

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

AN: I would just like to say thank you to all my faithful reviewers (you know who you are ^.~) I'm so glad that so many people like this story! In fact, I'm even planning out a sequel! Though, if you think about it, it is pretty stupid thinking about a sequel when I haven't even finished this one… -.-;;;

I would like to thank all of you, even the people who read but don't review (I know you're out there!)

This chapter is dedicated to all of you. And just your luck, it's slightly fluffy!

Notes:

Thoughts 

"Speech"
Chapter Five __

~

When Sakura arrived at her house, the rain was really coming down in buckets, and she was as soaked as her teammates.

Blowing a wet strand of hair out of her face, she unlocked the door and ushered everyone in.

She headed for her linen closet, calling to them, "Try not to drip too much." She handed them the towels, and put water on boil.

"I'm going to go change. And Naruto, if you even _think_ about peeking, I'll cut your throat out."

The ninja in question gulped visibly while Sasuke smirked in approval.

*

He had been surprised at how clean the house was, since from the looks of it, nobody else was there except for Sakura. Sasuke wondered briefly when she had the time to clean.

He walked over to where Naruto was drying himself off vigorously, and grabbed a towel, trying not to drip on the furniture. Naruto had no such scruples and he plopped on the couch, obviously forgetting Sakura's earlier words already.

Not for the first time since they had departed, Sasuke wondered why he was even here. And what he would do next.

*

Sakura changed warily, keeping an eye on the door. But she had a feeling the Naruto wouldn't peek. Not if Sasuke was there. And especially not after the events of the last few days.

She stepped into the kitchen, toweling her hair dry, and poured tea into three cups.

To her surprise, when she arrived in the living room, she found Sasuke sitting stiffly on the couch, and Naruto asleep, his arms and legs flung out in all directions, a snot bubble balancing on his nose as he snored softly.

Sasuke must have sensed her arrival, because he looked up.

Their eyes met, and Sakura was surprised at what he found there. _If I didn't know better, _she thought, _I would've sworn that he's _amused_._

"He just kind of…collapsed." Sasuke said apologetically, smiling (_Smiling!_ Sakura decided that today was yet another day to add to her list of strange days) slightly.

They both glanced at Naruto.

Sakura set her cups on the table. "Maybe today tired him out." She offered, not quite sure what to say.

"No. The dobe's always like this. Except now, his eyes are closed."

Surprised, Sakura laughed. _Did Sasuke just make a joke?_

She handed him a cup. "I noticed." She said ruefully.

They sat sipping silently, neither quite sure what to say.

"This is good!" Sasuke said, unintentionally breaking the quiet.

Sakura smiled wryly. "Thanks! My parents aren't always home so I had to learn to make tea. And clean." She gestured around the room vaguely.

"What about cook?" Sasuke asked, watching her.

Sakura laughed a little. "It's mostly instant ramen for me. I _can_ make some other things, but mostly I'm too tired. Most nights you'll find me at Ichiraku. What about you?"

"Me?"

"Yeah. You live by yourself, don't you?"

"The house is mostly a mess." Sasuke admitted, "Cleaning annoys me. But it's not too bad. Once a month I force myself to clean it. I tell myself that it's mental training. Sometimes, it even works."

Sakura laughed again, and they lapsed into silence, though this time it was a more comfortable one.

Once again, Sasuke broke it first. "Sakura…" he began awkwardly.

"Hmm?"

"…that night, when you yelled at me…"

Sakura blushed. "Oh. Don't take that too seriously. I tend to yell things in the heat of the moment."

"I just wanted to let you know…that night…I wasn't following Naruto for a fight."

"You weren't?" Sakura's blush deepened slightly as she stared at her cup.

"No. I heard you scream, so I…"

"Oh." Her voice was small as she remembered Sasuke rushing in to protect her. "I guess I made a fool out of myself then, huh?"

Sasuke blinked and smiled. "Only a little."

They looked at each other, and burst out laughing.

Sakura hadn't felt this good since…since she and Ino were friends. Thinking about her ex-best friend brought a twinge of sadness into her, and she stopped laughing abruptly.

"What's wrong?" Sasuke asked her carefully.

"Oh…just thinking about how many friends I lost to a silly little crush."

Sasuke winced slightly, having a flashback to his conversation at the lake earlier that day.

__

She doesn't like you anymore! The voice repeated itself over and over in his head, no matter how hard he tried to shut it out.

Sasuke looked at Sakura gravely. "Maybe it wasn't so silly after all." He told her, staring into her eyes.

Sakura was startled. "What?" she whispered.

Sasuke leaned in closer. "I said…" he began softly, gently tracing her chin with his thumb, "that…" their lips were only an inch apart.

__

Oh my God. Sakura thought wildly, _he's going to k—_

"What do you mean you're out of ramen? Ichiraku can't be out of ramen!"

Startled, they sprang apart, and glanced at Naruto, who apparently, was having a nightmare…about ramen.

Sasuke leaned over and pushed at Naruto's shoulder.

"Wake up dobe." He commanded.

Naruto opened his eyes. "What? Why are you saying stupid things Sasuke? I am up!"

"You were asleep." Sakura said gently, setting down her teacup.

Naruto scoffed at her. "And let down my guard? With Sasuke-bastard right here? Yeah right!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "We should go." He said, dragging Naruto to his feet, "We all have training tomorrow, and we'll need our rest."

Sakura saw them to the door, all the while trying to read some hidden emotion in Sasuke's eyes.

After they left, (Naruto yelling loudly, punctuating his arguments with wildly waving arms, and Sasuke smirking calmly at him) she leaned against the doorframe, trying to think.

__

Nothing happened tonight. Nothing was going to happen. She chided herself gently, straightening and walking into the living room, gathering the teacups.

It's just some leftover nerves. After all, you just got over him. You imagined the whole mess. 

She went to bed, dreaming of dark eyes, a husky voice, and a fleeting laugh. She woke, remembering nothing.

~

AN: Well, that's another chapter done! I just want to know, was it too awkward? I'm not so good at writing romance scenes. And I suppose I really am cruel, five chapters into the story and not a single kiss. Oh well, there will be explanations for that in the Author's Notes for the next chapter.

Please review! They are my bread and butter! 


	6. Chapter Six

Be Careful What You Wish For

By: Poison Ivy 

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

AN: This chapter is written in a slightly different way. I was _so_ stuck thinking of how to indicate time passage without writing out every chapter, but well, here it is. The reason I chose to do this is because everything else so far has happened in what? Two, three days? And wouldn't it be a _little_ strange that Sakura and Sasuke got together in three days? I mean, if you really looked "underneath the underneath", then it would mean that Sasuke was doing the whole romantic thing out of revenge or spite.

And isn't it every little girl's dream to date out of spite? {1}

Yeah, so anyways, I did this to show _growth_.

But on a slightly different note,

*waves to Crimson Girl* thanks for the great review! And I love that ramen phrase! I _know_ that I'm going to incorporate it in one of my author's notes. *is insanely proud that she had ramen for lunch*

*sniffs* and here I thought nobody read my author's notes. Here I thought that I just happened to be blabbing to myself! Well, I was wrong ^-^ *for some strange reason is happy to be wrong*

Notes:

Thoughts 

"Speech"
Chapter Six __

~

For the first time that he could remember, Sasuke woke up late. He had spent a night tossing and turning, thinking over the events of the night before. He felt stupid, wanting something that Naruto had. _But even is she _does_ like you again, _he told himself fiercely, _you'll only go back to ignoring her. _Yet he couldn't get the image of her out of his mind, defiant and angry. In fact, he hadn't been able to get it out of his mind since the night that she had changed. And he had to admit, though she was annoying, (_used to be annoying, _whispered the traitorous voice in the back of his head) at least she was loyal.

And he did kind of miss her calling him Sasuke-kun.

It wasn't like he didn't have bigger problems, (he did) but just something about her, the way she smelled…like cherry blossoms…well it was safe to say that Uchiha Sasuke was feeling very screwed. To put it lightly.

And to top it off, when he arrived at the clearing, (ahead of Kakashi at least, thank Kami) he had to do without the "Ohayou Sasuke-kun!" and instead with Sakura pointedly ignoring him, paying more than the usual attention to Naruto.

And he began to wonder if Naruto was right about Sakura switching attentions, though he would only admit it only torture. Really _really_ painful torture.

So he had to sit through the dobe's steadily increasing "looks". They were, as Sasuke began to admit to himself, getting harder and harder to ignore.

And for the first time, for the first time since he had learned to build walls anyway, Sasuke felt lonely.

When Kakashi did arrive, Sasuke had been on the verge of jumping up and throwing a kunai punching at Naruto. The last look had been especially long and hard, plainly stating, "I have something you don't have!" Sasuke had been about to give him something else he didn't have; a black eye. 

So while Kakashi's presence was a good thing, he also had to remain calm when Sakura yelled at the sensei's excuse. (A beautiful girl was stuck in a tree) Because now she had talked to everyone except him.

To say that his life was screwed was becoming a bigger and bigger understatement.

It didn't help that in a few weeks (of the same old treatment, and Sasuke found that to his surprise instead of his resentment dimming, it only grew) she lopped off her hair, saying that it was too hard to manage. {2} Not that he asked. Still, it meant that the part of him in her life was gone forever. And vice versa.

Yet he still kept his silence, though there were moments (as there were bound to be) when they were alone. They both kept it (the silence), she, not needing his words to complete her day, and he, not quite knowing what to say.

Even though her hair was now short. He found it even harder to keep silent then, and even harder to talk.

But one thing that kept him satisfied (through long nights of dreams of _her_, though he had managed to accept them as inevitable) was that Sakura and Naruto never went out. The dobe was wrong. About one thing at least.

She had tried, once or twice, to be friends, but Sasuke, not expecting it, didn't respond. He was trapped behind the walls that he himself had built, and it took too long to tear them down. And by then, she had stopped trying.

And so he kept his silence, though his breaking point was near. One of the nightmares that he had was that when he did break…he would have nothing to say.

"Sakura…"

*

She loved snow, she really did. {3}

Before, she was afraid of it, because it had reminded her of him (though it was white and he was dark), and now that he was no longer important, she feared that snow would cease to be important as well.

But she found that she loved snow for its own sake, and not for his, and for that she was grateful.

She had found that there were a lot of things that she needed to reexamine, and to reevaluate. Like her hair for one, which she had only grown because Sasuke liked long hair. 

After cutting her hair, she hadn't recognized who she was when she looked in a mirror for over a week. She hadn't been sure who _Sakura_ was, what people would say (how they would describe her) now that she was no longer the pink haired girl with an obsession over the Uchiha.

And so Sakura was glad for snow. 

She skipped and played in it, giggling with her friends and having snowball fights. 

He, of course, wasn't there.

And Ino almost wasn't as well. She couldn't quite reconcile with Ino yet, not until both of them grew up.

And she found that she rather enjoyed hitting her face with a snowball, horrible as that thought was.

She turned her thoughts (slowly, inevitably) to Christmas, and shopping. She wondered idly whether or not to get him anything, and in the end decided to get him something small, as he undoubtedly got dozens of presents. She didn't really think that he would notice. 

And though the events of summer were al but nearly forgotten, luring a cat down with ramen being but a vague haze in her mind, that night, when he had come over, that night she couldn't forget. 

She still woke up sometimes, not quite remembering why, but suspecting that he had something to do with it. 

Another reason (she admitted to herself, though when she did it was tinged slightly with sadness) she and Ino couldn't forgive and forget.

Though she no longer called him Sasuke-kun, she hadn't been out on a date with anyone else, either.

And though she was _sure_ that she loved snow for its own sake, whenever she saw it, she couldn't help but remember dark hair and eyes, and whenever it fell on her face, Sakura couldn't help but remember his touch on her cheek.

~

Notes:

{1} If anyone can guess which TV show I stole the line from (though I slightly modified the words), you will get both a cookie, and a request fic from me! ^^

To give y'all a hint, the original words substituted married for to date. And another hint (because I'm feeling generous), the show's pretty popular…_I_ laugh at it all the time.

{2} Yes I know. In the manga she cuts it off during a fight with the Sound-nin. But since the chuunin exams don't take place in this fic (*blinks* did I forget to mention that? They're all slightly older, so I guess this is a little AU), I still wanted her to have short hair. Just for different reasons.

{3} And again, I know. Spring is her favourite season. But that doesn't mean that she can't love snow! I said _snow_ not _winter_.

*

Anyways I hope you enjoyed that chapter, and don't complain to me that it was different. The next chapter will go back to the same style, I promise! *hides crossed fingers* heh heh….Gomen…reflex

But to tell you the truth, this was probably my favorite chapter to write. Sasuke-kun is so cool! *waves Sasuke banner*

Please review!

They are to me like ramen is to Naruto! (See Crimson Girl? I told you I'd put it in somewhere…you don't mind…do you?)


	7. Chapter Seven

Be Careful What You Wish For

By: Poison Ivy 

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

AN: Heh heh…sorry for the wait

…though considering some other fanfiction authors…the wait isn't really _that_ long.

But the reasons being were a slight writer's block (I knew what was supposed to happen but couldn't write it out) and the many tests and projects due at school.

But thankfully, I think I got most of the writer's block out of my system, by starting a new story, "Optimism" *doesn't care about the obvious self-plug*

Which will be even more difficult, now that I have two stories going on at once.

Gomen anyways, and please enjoy chapter seven, which includes my interpretation of Sakura's parents (notice that in the manga, they aren't pictured, so every fanfic author has portrayed them differently. Even more than Kakashi's past I think) a completely unexpected plot twist, and Sasuke's loss of dignity.

Oh and another note. Someone (I don't have my reviews in front of me right now and I can't remember who it was) mentioned that one of my words was spelled wrong last chapter.

All I can say is that spellcheck should really have warned me of that, and that no matter how many times I check it over, there are bound to be mistakes. Trust me, reading over my own work after it was posted is a proverbial nail in the proverbial coffin.

One last note. I've been getting a few reviews from people wondering whether or not this story will be a NaruSaku. And the answer, people is no. I hope that doesn't disappoint you all too much. But it _did_ say in the summary that the NaruSaku was nonexistent!

And still, no one has guessed where the quote in the last chapter came from.

Notes:

Thoughts 

"Speech"
Chapter Seven ~ 

"You're going to _what_?"

Sakura stared, shocked, at her mother, who smiled apologetically in the midst of packing.

"We're going on a trip dear." She repeated while patiently folding clothes.

"But on Christmas? Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"We really didn't think you'd mind. Least of all react…like this."

Sakura was devastated. Not only were going to be gone on Christmas, they hadn't bothered telling her, and now it was too late. Too late to call and stay with a friend, and she didn't fancy spending Christmas alone.

Hinata and Neji would most likely be having a family Christmas, and if she stayed with Naruto, Christmas dinner would consist of turkey-flavored ramen. And Ino…she didn't even want to _go_ there.

She stormed out of the house, and into the snow, not wanting to admit that when she got back, the place would be empty.

She wandered deep into the forest, trying to fight back tears. There wasn't even training to go to. (Kakashi had called it off due to the holidays)

Her Christmas was really going to suck this year. There was Hinata's party on Christmas night, (well, not really Hinata's…it was Naruto's until he realized that his apartment wasn't big enough, and Hinata—along with most other people—couldn't say no to Naruto's patented beg) but other than that, she had no plans.

Even the thought of a white Christmas couldn't cheer her up now.

Fat flakes started to swirl around her quickly, and she was thinking of heading back when she saw a flash of black to her left, and her mouth moved before her brain did.

"Sasuke?"

*

If someone had informed Sasuke that all he did was train, he would have been insulted.

Yet there he was, heading back from his clearing, ignoring all the beauty around him. After all, snow changed the landscape, making it slippery and harder to maneuver in.

He was congratulating himself on how well he had handled the change in conditions when a voice called out to him and he almost tripped.

Crap! It's her! What's she…oh that's right. She lives around here. 

He regained his balance, and said conversationally, "Aa."

Sakura walked into view, blinking snow out of her eyelashes, and Sasuke suddenly had a greater appreciation for beauty…you know, in the landscape of course.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, trying not to shiver, wearing only a light jacket.

"Training."

"Oh."

It looked like she was going to give up and say goodbye to him, when suddenly Sasuke's voice started working again.

"What's wrong?"

Which might not have been the smartest thing to say, considering. But he really did want to know. Kinda.

*

Sakura blinked. _This_ she had not been expecting. To have Sasuke notice that something was wrong by just her facial features was surprising. She had assumed that it would take some major wound. At least.

So for no reason, Sakura found herself telling him everything, whether he really meant the question, or not.

Suddenly, she stopped, embarrassed. After all, Sasuke didn't have parents either.

"Go on." He prodded her, noticing her sudden silence.

She blushed. "This is stupid," she told him, "I mean, I shouldn't complain…after all, you…" flustered, she stopped talking.

*

Inwardly, Sasuke rolled his eyes. It was really too late to worry about his family situation after ten minutes of talking. Now the situation was becoming more and more awkward. Then, for the second time that day, Sasuke did something that he regretted.

"If you want, you can stay at my place."

Judging by the startled look on her face, Sasuke was even starting to regret getting up that morning.

"It would be nice to have someone that can cook." He finished lamely.

He didn't even know why he was doing this. Acting like a love-sick fool, stopped in his tracks by the loneliness in her eyes. But still—

He was interrupted from his inner rant by her voice.

"That would be great!"

Sasuke hoped desperately that he would get out of this in one piece.

*

To say that Sakura was surprised by his offer was a rather big understatement. And it was getting bigger as they walked towards her house together, and he hadn't taken it back yet.

Not for the first time, she wondered if he had some ulterior motive. 

And also not for the first time, she wondered why she had said yes.

She left him in the front hall while she went to pack. She put all her presents into a duffel bag, not wanting to have to go home before her parents returned. Besides, the emptiness of the house kind of scared her. 

She wished hopelessly that Sasuke would make some sort of noise.

*

Sasuke looked around the house. Very little had changed since he had been here last, but after listening to Sakura's rant, he looked more carefully.

There were no family pictures. Anywhere.

She came out from the hall, carrying two duffel bags, and beamed at him.

"I'm ready! Let's go!"

She didn't seem to care that she would be leaving home for at least until after New Year's without so much as a backwards glance.

"Aa."

He reached across the distance between them to take a bag. Their fingers brushed, and he had to try hard not to flinch as warmth traveled up his arm.

They left the house without further conversation, with Sasuke leading the way, through snowed in streets.

They both tried hard not to look at windows lit brightly with Christmas lights, and families celebrating.

*

As they neared the Uchiha estate, Sakura tried hard not to shiver. 

She had never really thought about it before, but Sasuke lived alone in a huge mansion, in his own section of the village, because he was the only Uchiha left.

She felt even worse about telling him her petty problems.

He unlocked the door and motioned her in. 

The place was sparsely furnished but comfortable looking. (Something that she didn't think Sasuke's place would be capable of) However, there was a fine layer of dust over things, and Sakura suspected that Sasuke hadn't cleaned it in awhile. 

She noticed a huge pile of wrapped boxes heaped in a corner, bright paper winking up at her. 

"What're those?" she asked, pointing.

Sasuke turned briefly. "Presents girls have given me." His voice held no emotion, not even contempt, and Sakura felt pity for Ino. She could even spot her present, covered in hearts and flowers. 

"Are you going to unwrap them?" 

His eyes flickered towards her. "Perhaps."

He led her into a nearby guest room, brushing snow off of his shoulders. "You'll be staying here. Okay?"

She smiled. "Sure." The room was small, but at least it was clean.

She knew what the first thing she was going to do was.

*

After showering, Sasuke was toweling his hair dry when he walked into something unexpected.

Sakura was humming a song to herself as she cleaned.

An appetizing aroma filled the air, and tea stood on the table.

"You don't have to be a maid." He informed her.

She looked up and smiled. "This is really too dirty. Besides, you wanted someone that who could cook."

He had to keep from smiling, but even so, his lips twitched.

He stood, watching her for a few more minutes, before asking timidly; "Can I help?"

Sakura looked around. "There isn't a lot left to do." She confessed. "If you want, help me mop."

A few minutes later, he found himself doing exactly that. In retrospect, it wasn't his proudest moment; but still, there was an almost companionable silence between the two of them.

Sakura disappeared into the kitchen and reappeared a few seconds later. Her grin made Sasuke realize that maybe getting up today was worth it after all.

"Dinner!" she announced.

~

AN: Please review and don't yell at me too harshly if this chapter turned out to be horrible! 


	8. Chapter Eight

Be Careful What You Wish For

By: Poison Ivy 

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

AN: Gomen-ne! I know that I said that I would update like a week ago, but I really didn't get a chance. There was a fic I was writing for Merodi-chan…and yes I know. I'm making excuses, neh? *bows head*

But really, there was an abnormal amount of exams in the last little bit…and I've been concentrating on bringing all my grades up!

So here it is, loong overdue.

Important note! Please read: 

Ok. I know it's been awhile in the past, but in chapter six, I asked you (my readers) if you knew where I took a certain quote from. Well, someone guessed it!

Congratulations to butterfly_eli! 

Yes, the quote did come from "That 70's Show". Although I'm not quite done with your fic yet though. Gomen!

Notes:

Thoughts 

"Speech"
Chapter Eight ~ 

After dinner—a quiet affair that consisted mostly of Sasuke eating with concentrated content—Sakura decided to take a shower. Her hair was covered with dust, despite her tying a handkerchief to it, and it mixed with the partially melted snow to form an almost mud. After getting directions from Sasuke, she turned the water on hot, and let her tired body soak. 

__

Well, she thought to herself, _I never would have guessed that I would be here. Spending Christmas with Sasuke. _She thought back to the days when she was obsessed, and surpressed a giggle. If the Sakura then were here now, the whole place would be shaking with her yells.

But Sasuke was being more open than she expected. There had even been a few times, while they cleaned, that he had smiled. _Maybe I'll even have fun, _she thought contentedly.

*

Sasuke was doing crunches as part of his training. He was trying to reach 1000 without losing count.

__

537…538…539… unbidden, an image sprang into his mind's eye. A picture of a petite shinobi with short pink hair. The girl beamed at him happily, and Sasuke could feel himself smiling back. _Stop it. _He told himself firmly. Yet he couldn't. She was in the shower now, which meant that she was naked…he blushed, and tried desperately to get such perverted thoughts out of his mind.

He realized that he had lost count yet again, and grimly, began once more. _One…two…three…_

*

Sakura was drying herself, humming a little tune, when the door opened, and Sasuke walked in.

By the way his eyes widened when he saw her, Sakura had the feeling that he had forgotten all about her. 

Yet she reacted as she always did, screaming, and throwing the nearest object (she dimly registered in her mind that it was a brush) and covered herself up with the towel.

Her make-shift missile smacked him in the head just before the door slammed, leaving her there to recover.

Grimly, she began to put on her clothes.

*

Sasuke sat on the couch, nursing his wound. After training, he had a routine. He would stumble into the bathroom, grab a towel, then stumble out. He had totally forgotten that she was there. He would remember next time, because if he forgot again, it may prove fatal. Literally. He winced, thinking of her aim.

But yet, (he blushed again) he couldn't help but remember how pretty she looked, standing there.

"So," a voice behind him commented dryly, "how long have you known that you were a pervert?"

He looked up to see Sakura standing behind him, smiling wryly. _She's fully dressed, _a voice at the back of his head commented with disappointment. 

He smiled nervously back. "I didn't—"

Her smile grew. "I know you wouldn't do a thing like that."

"I'm sorry." He told her. He winced as a sharp pain lanced through his temple. 

"Remind me never to get in the way of your arm again." He informed her.

Her laughing eyes grew concerned as she gazed at his injury.

"Ano…I'm sorry too."

He winced again. "No problem."

She stepped forward and repositioned the ice that Sasuke was holding to his head. "Baka," she remonstrated, "you weren't doing it right."

They stayed that way in silence for awhile, until Sakura said ruefully, "I didn't really expect you to get hit, you know."

To her surprise, instead of glaring, Sasuke laughed. Laughed! Against her will, she found herself enjoying its richness. His entire face was transformed, making him look more handsome than ever. 

"I finally figured out why Naruto's Sexy no Jutsu works so well." He managed to gasp out between breaths.

Her face heated up as she took in what his words implied. "Hentai." She said, glaring through her blush, and whacking him lightly with her free hand. 

He grinned teasingly. "Aren't you supposed to be nursing me?"

She took a seat beside him. _Why am I feeling like this? _She wondered to herself as she switched hands, _If I'm not careful, I might fall in love with him. Again._

"I am." She told him firmly. _And nothing more. _She added to herself. 

*

__

What are you doing? Sasuke screamed at himself, _are you flirting with her?_

Right then, though, he didn't care. Those emerald eyes were still watching him warily, and he grabbed what he knew was his last and only chance.

He leaned across the distance between them, and captured her lips with his.

*

All her plans, all her self-control flew out the window as heat raced through her body. A slightly harried _What? _raced through her mind before she was on her back, kissing him back furiously. Because when Sasuke was still kissing her, that was all that mattered. 

*

He broke it first; gazing into her confused eyes and slightly swollen lips, and couldn't help smirking a small smirk.

~

Oy. That was terrible. Gomen! *bows* but I really needed to get this chapter out! And even if this entire thing was awkward, at least they kissed, right?

And just to warn you all now, I'm terrible at any and all romance scenes…so if they sound awkward and forced, well, I know already!


	9. Chapter Nine

AN: This is really short unfortunately. I'm sorry for the delay, but I have been experiencing severe writer's block. I hope that I have not lost interest for this story, but I have left it at a bad moment…

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto
__

Be Careful What You Wish For

By: Poison Ivy 

~

If Sakura had made a list of things that she thought she would be doing that Christmas, it would have consisted of spending time with friends, snowball fights (she still hadn't managed to nail Lee or TenTen) and shopping. Followed by eggnog and/or chocolate. 

Making out with Uchiha Sasuke on his couch didn't exactly top the list.

__

But, she thought hopefully, _one kiss doesn't count as making out. _She watched Sasuke, who was smirking at her. _There's still time before—_

"I knot that relationships born like this don't usually work out," Sasuke informed her, sounding wry. Yet Sakura thought that she could detect some hope in his voice. She found suddenly that she didn't mind her thoughts being interrupted. "But I can assure you that this is not a spur-of-the-moment thing. Wouldn't you like to give it a try?"

Well. It was too late. Sasuke, who saw her watching him carefully, used the Uchiha Puppy Eyes. The same technique he had used to wheedle most things out of his parents. In fact, (though he did not reflect on this) the last time he had used it was on the way home late from kunai practice. He was practicing in case his parents became angry. He had thought that he was prepared for any eventuality. To come home to see his parents in a pool of blood with his own brother standing over them, he was not prepared for. And it brought trouble that not even the Uchiha Puppy Eyes could get out of.

But for Sakura, it was definitely too late. When she saw the eyes, something in her melted. Some sort of ice immunity she had built up after many years, and many many rejections.

She put her arms around him. "Of course Sasuke."

His eyes were bright as they twinkled at her. If anyone had told her that Sasuke's eyes could twinkle before today, she would have laughed, thrown a kunai at them, and asked them who the hell they were. In that order.

"Sasuke-kun." He corrected.

"Sasuke-kun." She repeated numbly. She had not even thought that he had noticed. His earlier words repeated in her head. _I can assure you that this is not a spur-of-the-moment thing…_

She wondered how long he had been thinking of her. But before she could ponder further, he kissed her again, and for awhile, that was all that mattered.

But reality caught up to her when she yawned right in the middle of one.

They pulled apart, and he laughed huskily, his voice slightly hoarse.

"Maybe it's time we went to bed." He informed her, tracing her cheek with a finer.

She hugged him tightly, burying her face in his neck. "Don't wanna, Sasuke-kun." She yawned.

By the sounds of that yawn, it doesn't seem as if you have any choice," he informed her, picking her up and carrying her.

"My parents used to do that when I was little." She told him sleepily, her guards falling down. If she had been truly awake, she never would have said it.

Sasuke's arms tightened. "…so did mine."

He laid her on her bed, and looked down at her, smiling kindly. "I'd undress you," he said with a smirk, "but I don't think either of us really want to go down that road yet."

She laughed loudly.

He leaned down and kissed her. "Goodnight Sakura."

"Goodnight Sasuke-kun."

~

AN: Well that's it. The plot is officially dead. It's buried in the exact spot that the fluff used to lay, but it no longer needs. Because it is resurrected! Mwuah-hah-hah!

Ahem. Well, anyways, I was being serious. There's most likely nothing but cheesy romance scenes heading our favoutrite couples' way.

And people wonder why I have writer's block…


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